Thorpe suspended by PGA Tour via e-mail

By RICH LERNER

Jim Thorpe, facing a year in prison on two counts of failure to pay taxes, has been suspended by the PGA Tour via an e-mail that he received Friday he told Golf Channel.

Even with a one-year jail term set to begin April 1, Thorpe was hoping to play in the Ace Group Classic in Naples this week but that now is not possible. The PGA Tour does not comment on issues related to player discipline.

In the meantime, Thorpe is appealing the original sentence handed down by Judge Karla R. Spaulding on Jan. 22 in federal court in Orlando.

“If we can reach a compromise with the IRS maybe we can get probation,” Thorpe told Golf Channel late Saturday. “I think this sentencing was a little tough.”

If the appeal of the sentence fails, Thorpe said “we’ll pick up the pieces and go from there.”

Thorpe, 61, also faces two years of supervised release, 200 hours of community service and must pay nearly $2 million in back taxes, penalties and interest.

Champions Tour member Andy Bean has known Thorpe for more than 30 years and said that whatever happens, “all his friends will be there to help and support him. Everybody likes Thorpey. He has a big heart. He’d give you the shirt off his back. He’s just a friend to a lot of guys.”